Spiral Eye
by muchoblidged
Summary: Ginko and Amane meet up again months after the mushi have left Amane's eyes, but a new mushi has begun to grow, threatening her life. Pairing/s/: GinkoxAmane
1. Diagnose

Ginko walked through a small village hoping to find shelter. It had been a long trek through the mountains and he had found no cottages or small inns along the way. The rain was pouring down hard as he continued with his fruitless search. It was only when he heard a familiar wavering voice that he stopped.

"_A pretty scarf stuck up in a tree, seems to be waiting just for me…But when I pulled it down to put it on – the bright white scarf was far too long!" _The crowd surrounding the singer laughed. There was a clinking of coins as they dropped tips for the woman. Ginko waited until the crowd dispersed. Sitting in the settling dust was Amane, scooping the coins into her small tea cup.

"So we meet again." Ginko noted. Amane turned her head in his direction.

"Ginko…" She murmured. He smiled.

"You remember me that well?" He chuckled. Ayame stood, packing her instrument away.

"You're quite an unforgettable man, Ginko." She said softly. Ginko raised his eyebrows and took a drag on his cigarette. "Let's get out of this rain? I'm staying in the town inn. They're packed, unfortunately, but I can get you a hot meal. You may stay the night, if you wish."

Ginko shrugged. "Why not? It's coming down pretty hard anyways…"

--

The two hurried to the inn. Amane ordered two large bowls of yakisoba noodles and a bottle of sake. Ginko finished his meal quickly and turned to Amane. "So," he said, relaxing somewhat, "do you have any other songs for me?" Amane's mouth turned up in a sly smile.

"Not yet, Mushi master." She said. A haunting note echoed in the serene quiet of the room, followed by a few others in quick succession. Ginko leaned back, his eyes closed, and listened to the eerie hum of the strings.

Amane turned her head towards Ginko. "Are you bored?" Ginko almost jumped, startled by her sudden comment.

"Oh, no. Your playing is lovely." Amane bowed her head.

"You are very kind Ginko." She smiled, sending a stream of notes through the air. Ayame rubbed her bandages as if she was uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong Ayame?" Ginko asked. He made a move to get up but Ayame shook her head.

"Oh, no. My eyes have just been a bit itchy. I think it's the bandages." She replied. Her hands returned to the biwa. Ginko tipped the last few drops of sake into his mouth and lay back.

The sake bottles turned to two then three and as the night wore on, the bottles were replaced with hot kettles of tea. When the moon shone full into the hotel room, Ginko roused himself from his half-sleep. Amane was still playing, half-asleep herself. Ginko touched her hand and she lifted her head slowly. "Ginko?" She mumbled. Her confused frown inverted, turning to a smile. "I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep. What is it?"

"Your Biwa…" Ginko said, gesturing to the instrument she held.

"What is it?" Amane paused. "Would you like to play it?" Ginko remained silent, regretting his childish request. Amane shook her head as if reading his thoughts. "It's fine." She stood slowly and walked over to Ginko, sitting down behind him. Amane slid the biwa into his arm so it rested in his lap. Her arms lay on his arms; her chin was tucked into the crook of his neck and shoulder. The fabric of her kimono and his shirt rubbed together as she placed her fingers carefully on the neck of the instrument. Her breath warmed his jaw methodically. _"A Mushi master stole my heart," _she murmured, _"For months and months we've been apart. Stealing stories is his art…"_ Amane drew a breath and exhaled slowly, the air ruffling Ginko's collar. _"Oh why'd he have to steal my heart?"_

Amane let the biwa lie in Ginko's arms as she wrapped her own around his neck. "And that," Amane murmured, "is my song for you, Mushi master." Ginko turned his head slowly. Amane felt a rough hand on her cheek. Ginko pressed his lips to hers gently. A smile spread across her face. "Ginko…"

Slowly they fell asleep, Ayame slumped over in Ginko's arms.

In the morning, Ginko awoke before Ayame. She could smell hear the steam rushing from a new kettle of tea. Ayame straightened her kimono and rubbed her eyes. "Ginko?" She murmured. Ginko looked at her.

"Good morning."

Ayame rubbed harder, scratching at her skin under the bandages. "G-good morning…" Ginko took her hand looked closely at the bandages. Vague reddish smudges dotted the white cloth.

"Amane, is something wrong with your eyes?" Ginko asked again.

"They're just itchy…" She said distantly, rubbing at the cloth with her free hand. Ginko let go of her and undid the bandages. Her eyelids were bumpy and swollen and spots of blood leaked out from underneath them. "I think the bandages are too scratchy. I'll get some softer cloth later." Ginko looked closer and prodded her eye. The lumps moved around and disappeared quickly. "Ginko what did you do?" Amane drew away. She put her hands to her face. "My eye feels strange now…"

"Amane can you open your eyes for me?" Amane didn't react for a moment. Finally her eyelids quivered and she slowly revealed her eye sockets.

They were dark red and mostly black but at the very back Ginko could see a few white blobs grouped together. "What is it? What do you see?" Amane asked anxiously.

"I…don't know…"

:::

Ginko had planned on leaving that afternoon. There were a lot of mushi in the area and he had no doubt that it wouldn't be long until they were crowding the small village. But he waited four days for a reply from his friend about the mushi in Amane's eyes. The days were very quiet. Ginko would deal with the different mushi that were leaking into the village and Amane would set up in front of the inn and play her lute.

On the morning of the fifth day, Ginko found what he was looking for: a small slip of paper curled up in one of the many empty cocoons he carried. "Ginko?" Amane murmured when she awoke.

"Good morning." Ginko muttered distantly, looking over the note.

"Did you get a reply? Do you know what's wrong?" Amane cried running over to him. Ginko nodded and put own the paper.

"The mushi that were in your eyes before reproduced before they left. The white blobs I saw at the back were their offspring."

Amane swallowed. "So, what's wrong?"

"For now, nothing. The offspring feed on a substance the parents leave behind. But when they started looking for more food, they'll start to feed on the optic nerve. You'll probably get some a few headaches at that point. But when the optic nerve runs out they'll begin to eat your brain."

Amane sat still barely breathing. "Is there anything we can do?"

"There's a mushi that lives in mountains that eats the kind of mushi you had in your eyes earlier. If you were exposed to it, the offspring would be taken care of and no harm done to you. We have to work quickly though. From what I saw they're pretty deep."

Amane nodded. Ginko turned to her. "Are you okay?" Amane's bandages grew dark and wet with her tears. She rested on Ginko's chest and didn't reply. The mushi master wrapped his arms around her. "Amane…I won't let any harm come to you." He said softly.

"Thank you." She sighed.

Ginko insisted they set out at evening. They slept a few miles outside of the village. The bad weather hadn't yet passed as they began their trek. Amane played her biwa to lighten the mood. It took a week for them to travel through the valley where the village lay. Ginko and Amane exchanged stories of mushi occasionally, though Ginko knew more than Amane. As they traveled Amane's headaches began to increase in amount and severity.

Ginko noticed the sound of Amane's footsteps had silenced. "Amane?" He turned around. She was kneeling on the ground holding her head. "Amane!" He shouted running to her.

"Ginko…it hurts." She choked out. Ginko gathered her into his arms.

Within three weeks of their latest meeting she could no longer stand.

"I'll get you to a house."

For a day and part of a night, Ginko trudged through the rain with Amane moaning in his arms. He spotted a small cottage hidden in a tiny clearing. It was well kept and he jogged up to, hoping there was still someone living there. "Hello?" He called, freeing a hand from him grip on Amane to knock on the paper doors. "Hello?" After a few minutes' pause, a light flickered on somewhere in the depths of the house. A small girl holding a candle opened the door.

"What is it?" The child asked, her wide eyes shifting from Amane's limp body to Ginko's face.

"My friend, she sick and the rain is coming down hard. Can we shelter here for the night?" He asked. The child looked at Amane and closed the door. The light bounced up and down, eventually disappearing. It reappeared a moment later and slowly moved towards the door. The door opened and an old woman looked up at Ginko.

"He's not _that_ strange, Yukiji." The woman smiled. Ginko frowned at her use of '_that_ strange.' "Come in. Yukiji, put on some tea if you please."

"Yes Grandmother." The girl called back, casting one last suspicious glance at Ginko before slipping away into a different room.

:::

"A mushi you say? I had a brother-in-law who was a mushi master. We didn't see him very often." The woman noted. Amane stirred in the small bed the woman had set up. The woman's name was Akako. She and her granddaughter Yukiji lived the in mountains, growing vegetables and trading them to the villagers for whatever they needed. Akako sipped her tea. "Your wife can stay with us for as long as she wants." The woman smiled. Ginko grinned.

"She's not my wife." He said. Akako's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, too bad. You make such a lovely couple." She stood up and left for a moment. "Stay the night with us and wait out this storm. It'll be gone by morning." She called.

"How do you know?" Ginko asked, laying down to sleep. Akako brought him a blanket.

"I've lived in these mountains all my life, mushi master." Akako said. "I know the ways of these storms."

In the morning the sun was shining bright and hot. The secluded mountain path was misty with evaporating water. Amane's eyes opened slowly. Her head hurt too much for her to sit up. "Where am I?" She asked.

"It's a cottage in the mountains." Ginko said. "There are two women here – Akako and her granddaughter Yukiji. They'll take care of you while I find the mushi." Amane struggled to sit up.

"What?" She cried. "Ginko – you're leaving me here?" She clenched a fist. "Answer me!" He remained silent. "Ginko, I can go with you! I just need some rest – "

Ginko whirled around, grabbed her head and pushed open her eyelid. Amane sat still, her breaths short. "They've already consumed most of the optic nerve Amane. We don't have much time left." At that moment, a splitting headache ripped through Amane's senses. She screamed and dropped to the floor. Two sets of footsteps rushed in. "Akako!" Ginko shouted.

"Don't worry, don't worry." She said to him softly. Amane felt a pair of wrinkled hands on her face. "She'll be fine. Really. Yukiji! Get the medicine!"

"Here."

Amane felt something pass through her lips followed by a rush of cool water. "There…" The old woman's voice sighed. The pain ebbed away.

"Ginko…take me with you." She murmured. She felt his arms around her and then…darkness.

:::


	2. Supairaru

Ginko waved to the grandmother and grandchild as they watched him go. The two would be able to take good care of Amane. With Akako's homemade pain reliever Amane's headaches would be soothed almost instantly. "But it won't last long, Ginko," Akako had warned him, "I have to give her rather large doses to keep the pain away and I'm not sure how long if will be before her body becomes too used to the medicine. You must hurry."

The storm had passed and the forest glistened with the remaining droplets. When the cottage was out of sight Ginko paused and looked back. _I'm sorry Amane. _He thought somberly. Ginko took a drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke up at the treetops. The curling wisps disappeared against the lush green leaves.

Ginko rested at sundown. He was a few miles from the mushi's usual habitat. He could see the valley perfectly from his camp. A small speck in the corner of the valley marked was all he could see of the nearest village. It would take a few days to find one of the mushi.

The mushi's body had a large eye on and two 'arms' that curled around it in a spiral-like shape. Ginko took out the vial in his pocket. It contained some residue the mushi in Amane's eyes had left behind. _The scent of this will attract the mushi. I should be able to just keep them in this vial until I get back to Amane. _One of the spiral-shaped mushi floated by. It was too young to be of much use, but the sighting of it brought Ginko hope. _I won't be long Amane. I promise. _He sighed.

The new moon was a dark circle in the dark blue sky. The forest was black. Ginko nodded off eventually, the vial tight in his grasp.

One week later, Ginko noticed several of the spiral mushi in the trees. He stood and smiled briefly. _Perfect._ Slowly he opened the vial and a flood of mushi rushed at him. _Damn, they're stronger than I thought._ The mushi pushed at Ginko, eager to feed on the bait. Ginko pushed one arm through the swarm and capped the vial. The mushi stopped coming and within a few minutes floated away. Ginko looked down. The bottle jostled in his hands with the force of the captured beings. "This should do it." He smirked.

It took him another week to return. The small mountain cottage was quiet. Yukiji was sweeping the front step. "Yukiji!" He called. Slowly she turned to him. Ginko smiled and walked up to her. "Where's Akako – " He cut himself off and looked closely at her. "Is everything alright?" He asked. Yukiji looked up somberly.

"Grandma's inside." She said quietly resting the broom against the side of the house. "Come on."

They paused briefly to slip off their shoes and continued on inside.

Amane lay in her make-up cot. Ginko glanced at her in passing as Yukiji led him deeper into the cottage. "Amane," He murmured. He turned to Yukiji. "Is she – "

"Ah, Ginko!" Akako exclaimed. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Ginko held up the still jostling vial. "Lovely. Yukiji prepare some tea." Akako made her way to the main room of the cottage where Amane lay and sat down next to her. Ginko sat down as well, watching Amane to see if she was still breathing.

"Amane is still alive, Ginko, so you can stop glowering." Akako laughed. Ginko swallowed and looked away. "I don't know how long she'll last though. I can't keep giving her such large doses of the medicine. It's not healthy." Akako gave Ginko a sharp look. "These mushi must work. Her life depends on it."

At that moment, Amane sat upright gasping. Her eyes were still closed. Ginko clamped a hand over her mouth before she could start screaming. "Yukiji!" He called. The girl gave a cry of surprise. She had been standing in the doorway. "I need your help." She rushed over. "Next to me there's a vial. I need you to uncork it when I say." Yukiji mumbled a vague reply. "Good." Amane's eyelids twitched and finally opened as she began to thrash. Ginko pinned her to the floor. "Now!"

Yukiji fumbled with the cork.

"Yukiji!"

It flew off with a pop. A wave of mushi washed out over Ginko and Amane. "Amazing…" Yukiji gasped.

Amane fell silent as the mushi worked their way into her eyes and panted slowly. It took an hour for the mushi to clear out her eyes and drift away. Amane lay still for a few minutes before rising again. "What…" She raised a hand and held it out, trying to grasp something. Her fingers brushed Ginko's shirt and she turned to face him. "Ginko?"

For a moment the cottage was silent. Amane felt Ginko's arms wrap around her. He pulled her close to him. "Am I cured?" She mumbled into his shirt.

"Yes. You'll be fine." Amane looked up at him, her face glowing.

"Thank you. For everything." She brought herself closer to his face. "And now…"

Ginko pulled away. "Amane, you have to stay here."

Amane pulled back as well. "What? Why?"

"I don't know how far the mushi ate. There's a good chance they've damaged the front of your brain and your headaches won't improve for a while." Ginko put a hand on her cheek. "You need to stay with Akako and Yukiji to regain your strength." Amane bent her head but Ginko lifted it up. "I'll be back Amane." Amane leaned towards him and Ginko kissed her on the cheek and stood.

"You're leaving?" Amane breathed.

"I have to. I don't want the mushi in this area to cause any trouble from Akako and Yukiji." Ginko embraced Amane and bowed Akako. "You've been very helpful. Thank you for all you've done."

Akako have a crinkled smile. "It's the least we could do, Ginko. And I think Yukiji and I needed a little bit of drama in our lives." Ginko slipped on his pack and turned to Amane.

"I'll come back. You're quite an unforgettable woman, Amane." Ginko said softly. Amane lifted her head and smiled. He gave a leisurely wave to Yukiji and Akako and disappeared into the mountain's depths.

:::

Heavy boots crunched through piles of snow. White flakes lazily wandered through the dead branches against the backdrop of a dim winter sky. Amane rose from her bed and opened the door. Sweeping a blanket around her shoulders, she ran out outside. "Who's there?" She asked.

"And here I thought I was unforgettable."

Amane gasped and ran into the snow, the blanket slipping off her as went. She clung to Ginko, her face a mixture of sorrow and relief. "Ginko!" She cried. "Ginko!" She held him tighter and sighed. Ginko returned the embrace.

"So you weren't lying!" Yukiji called from the doorway.

"Now Yukiji don't be rude." Akako croaked. Ginko lifted Amane out of the snow and carried her back to the house. "Welcome back Ginko." Akako smiled. Ginko put Amane down on the mats and leaned towards her.

"I couldn't stay away." He grinned and he kissed Amane.


End file.
